Staff sgt. gets 2½ years in UK child porn case

Mar. 11, 2014 - 04:13PM
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Staff Sgt. Curtin Robinson (Cambridgeshire Constabulary)

Authorities in the United Kingdom on March 4 sentenced a U.S. staff sergeant stationed at Royal Air Force Alconbury to 2½ years in jail for inciting a child to engage in pornography and for possessing and distributing indecent photos.

Staff Sgt. Curtin Robinson pleaded guilty to the charges at a previous hearing at Peterborough Crown Court. Robinson belonged to the 423rd Communications Squadron, Capt. Brian Maguire, a spokesman for the 501st Combat Support Wing, said in an email.

Robinson, 24, pretended to be 17 when he sent online messages to a 14-year-old girl through a chat site, asking her to send naked photos of herself, according to a news release from the Cambridgeshire Constabulary. When the girl ignored the messages, Robinson set up a new account under a girl’s name and contacted the girl again.

“After Robinson built up the fake relationship ... he then began to incite her into sending him more images” and threatened to share them if she didn’t, the news release said.

The girl reported Robinson to the chat site, which alerted the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center, the release said.

A search warrant carried out at Robinson’s home uncovered indecent images on his computer and phone. Authorities also found he had set up the fake account to interact with young girls online.

The Air Force has no plans to court-martial Robinson, Maguire said. Any administrative actions under review are not releasable, he said.